Taliban unleash spring offensive in Afghanistan; 21 dead

Associated Press

Published 6:03 pm, Monday, May 12, 2014

Photo: Rahmat Gul, Associated Press

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Afghan security personnel surround the area after Taliban fighters stormed a government building in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 12, 2014. Taliban fighters stormed a government building in eastern Afghanistan killing police guards on Monday, the most serious in a wave of attacks marking the start of the insurgents' annual spring offensive. In the Taliban heartland in the south, an attack on a police checkpoint in Helmand province killed many policemen. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) less

Afghan security personnel surround the area after Taliban fighters stormed a government building in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 12, 2014. Taliban fighters stormed a government building in ... more

Photo: Rahmat Gul, Associated Press

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Afghan security personnel gets the area under control after Taliban fighters stormed a government building in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 12, 2014. Taliban fighters stormed a government building in eastern Afghanistan after killing two police guards on Monday, the most serious in a wave of attacks marking the start of the insurgents' annual spring offensive. In the Taliban heartland in the south, an attack on a police checkpoint in Helmand province killed several policemen. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) less

Afghan security personnel gets the area under control after Taliban fighters stormed a government building in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 12, 2014. Taliban fighters stormed a government ... more

Photo: Rahmat Gul, Associated Press

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TOPSHOTS A wounded child cries after receiving treatment at a hospital following an attack in Ghazni province on May 12, 2014. The Taliban launched attacks on police checkpoints in three districts of Ghazni province May 12 as part of their annual spring offensive, killing three people and wounding eight, officials said. AFP PHOTO/RAHMATULLAH ALIZADAHRahmatullah Alizadah/AFP/Getty Images less

TOPSHOTS A wounded child cries after receiving treatment at a hospital following an attack in Ghazni province on May 12, 2014. The Taliban launched attacks on police checkpoints in three districts of Ghazni ... more

Photo: Rahmatullah Alizadah, AFP/Getty Images

Taliban unleash spring offensive in Afghanistan; 21 dead

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Jalalabad, Afghanistan --

The Taliban unleashed a wave of attacks that killed 21 people around the country, making a show of strength to start the spring fighting season. The annual surge in violence poses a new test for Afghan security forces, who for the first time will face it largely on their own as international combat forces prepare to withdraw.

Spring each year brings an escalation in fighting in Afghanistan with the end of snowy winter weather, which hampers movement. The melting of the snows opens up mountain passes, allowing militant forces to move in from refuges in neighboring Pakistan.

Since last spring, Afghan troops and police have taken up full security duties in the country, with U.S. and NATO troops training and mentoring in the background, rarely intervening directly with air support.

The Taliban had warned last week that they'd launch their annual spring offensive on Monday.

The violence began with a predawn rocket attack on the main NATO base at Bagram, just north of the Afghan capital, as well as another on Kabul's international airport soon after - both largely symbolic, doing little damage.

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But around 9 a.m., three Taliban attackers attacked a provincial Justice Ministry building in Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan. They shot and killed two police guards and rushed into the building. During a 4 1/2-hour gunbattle between the militants and security forces, five civilians were killed, including three elderly employees of the office, and seven other civilians wounded. Police found two dead attackers along with the remains of a third, believed to have died when he detonated an explosive vest.

Nine police died in an attack on a checkpoint in southern Helmand province, and north of Kabul, a rocket hit a market in Parwan province, killing two civilians and wounding four.

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